Your Complete Guide for Buying a New Plasma Cutter

Buying a new plasma cutter can look like a daunting task for most consumers out there. Nowadays, the market’s overflowing with good, perfectly capable products that are well-worth the money. So, which one should you pick? With so many available options, any prospective buyer can end up feeling a little baffled.

One way of getting the right unit would be by reading as much info as your time allows it. Just make sure to correlate the features of the model you want to buy with your needs and requirements. To take the hassle out of all your buying journey, we’ve put together a short yet informative buying guide. You can find all the details you should take into account below.

Duty cycle

One of the first questions you should ask yourself is how many hours you need your new plasma cutter to work for. Fortunately, most of the manufacturers specify this detail in the instructions they provide along with the product or even on the unit itself. The cutting ability of a model should be considered as well, as some users don’t need to utilize the cutter for hours on end. However, they might require to use it more frequently than other buyers.

Another aspect you might need to ponder on is the amperage output. If you don’t plan on using the plasma cutter on a regular basis, it might be a good idea to go for a product that offers the best results for the thickness of what you intend to cut.

Voltage

Some plasma cutters work with 110 volt outlets, while others are especially designed for 220-volt outlets. In addition, it should be noted that using other tools plugged into the same circuit at the same time with the plasma cutter can take its toll on the unit.

Portability and built-in inverters

Once again, portability is a matter of personal preferences. Some buyers look for it, while others don’t necessarily consider easiness of transportation when browsing for a new model. Inverter-based alternatives are much more portable compared to the ones that don’t come with a built-in inverters. This specific feature allows manufacturers to design their products so that they’re much smaller compared to the regular ones. If you have a mobile service, pick a plasma cutter that has a built-in inverter. If you don’t, you might benefit from owning and using a regular one.

Accessories

With plasma cutter accessories, the matter’s rather simple. Some come with the device per se, and others can be purchased on the side, once you’ve already bought the unit. The main thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to rush in and choose the model that has the largest number of accessories provided in the original pack. Sometimes, it’s best to assess your needs before deciding on a unit.

Some of the most critically acclaimed accessories that we have come across include shield cups, plasma torches, plasma cutting guides, silicon greases, electrodes, air dryers and regulators, and even plasma cutting tables. A cart might be something to prospect the market for if the plasma cutter you opt for is a rather heavy piece of machinery.

Fortunately for the users who have little to no experience when it comes to choosing a new unit, most of the manufacturers nowadays offer a hose with their product. However, you might require a longer hose depending on the activities you plan on using your plasma cutter for.

Safety and protective gear

Using a model with your bare hands and in the absence of any type of protective gear is downright dangerous. If this is the first plasma cutter you are purchasing, you might not know that you require some sort of hand protection, eye and face protection, and even chest and body protection. All of these depend on the tasks you need to perform, but using all of them never hurt anyone especially since they’re particularly designed to keep you safe from harm.

Price and recommendations

Prices of plasma cutters can vary greatly depending on the brand that is manufacturing them, on whether or not they’re built from durable materials, and even on the reputation of the product per se. Don’t forget to make the time you spend on researching a model worth the while, mainly because buying a new unit is often an investment.

Go through several buyer reviews and find out what’s impressing and bothering users. Read both positive and negative recommendations, as you’ll let you know just what to expect from the model you want to buy.

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